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F. ii. VAN HOUTEN.

APPARATUS FOR CUI'TING AND SHAPING LUMPS 0F DOUGH.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 25.1915.

Patented Oct. 7,1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

NIH iilllllllll llfilllm HHIIIII I; I IHI U I F. H. VAN HOUTEN.

APPARATUS roa cumms AND swarms LUMPS 0F nous.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 28. I915.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

a mum Min 0).. n. c

F. 8. VAN HOUTEN.

APPARATUS FOR cunmc AND SHAPING LUMFS or nous.

APPLICATIGN FILED JULY 28.19l5.

Patented Oct. 7, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

PATENT Osman mine a. vmnonrsimr emcee, Newton, ASSIGiIOn no DUTOHE'SS TOOL Gumm essences, NEW'YORK, A 'comomwmn on NEW YORK.

speificanan of letters ratem.

Patented Oct. '7, 1919.

flpplioatinnfiind m 2a, 101-5. semi no. 42,4113.

:provements in ,eppnretus ifrOl (sitting and shaping lumps of dough. Mnreparticulsrly the invention resides in a nevelmaehme fior cutting biscuit leaves, vand the primerycbtien are pre m ln i ject of the invention is the pmvisipn of a novel feed of the dough tothe shaping and cutting element Whieh mesults in a greatly impressed capacity per machine.

The improvements of nesent invenin that t pe of biscuit loaf wberein the ough is divided in a pan or necept e into which the lump of dough has been planed, and the pan or recepta e is then pinned 1n the machine. I y 7 Other objects of the invention aretogenerally improve the construction of machines of the ebove pe,,a,nd a full understandyng thereof will H attained 'from the ensu ng detail description when taken in ccnnecti on withv the drawings wh ch illustrate a construction invention i i preferred fwd e novel I feetures e the nivention ivill be parliiii iilg rengement 0 dough pans pointed out and specified 1n the appends clgtims. l

In-the drawings A e Figure 1' is explain in, maphi-ne for cutt ng biscuit leaves embodying 't present 1mprosrernents. 1 7 p F" .2115 asideeleveticnthelnepil 3 is am-end elevation v okmg an the direction of the arrovv of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a detail-view illustrating an urin connection with the present mac me. 7 J 1 Like eharacters of re ence indioe'te vthe se ne parts thro. gheut t e several Views, mes-sh wn: e. semug the pur ref a biscuit cutting mac me are support by a.

suitable f-IEBMIQWOIk or table A having 'a, bed plate 0r-base A which forms the support I50! the-ddug h pans duri the cutting and "shaping of the luanps of ougvh into biscuit leaves. Tour-nailed in boxes J), b located eentrally-between the ends of frame A and on-each side of bed plate A is a, transverse shaft B having a drive pulley B whereby the shaft may be driven. In the present instance, motion is imparted to pulley B by a, belt B driven by any suitable means, such as an electric motor M located Within the frame A. Proj centrally from bed plate A and on opposite sides thereof, are brackets I0, :0, respectively, and supported by said brackets are vertical side rods C, C. :The dough cutting and shaping elements are prefenably of that type comprising a knife frame with the radially srrenged knives for cutting the dough in the pians into segments or separable individual biscuits, and the presser framejwhich rests on the dough during the cutting operetien thereof spreads it out into the required thickness. Extending transversely of bed plate A is a head beam 5D, provided at its respective ends with sleeves cl, d, which embrace and are adepted to slide on the respective rods G, C. Fixed in sleeve like portions (1 of head beam D are shanks 6, each shank forming a sufigorting medium for a. prewar frame and a, ifefirame, and, as shown; three shanks with their mspective frames are provided, 01 puipiloses which will presently appear. l. m as the several pnesser and knife rumes-em substantially similsrpin construcend arrangement, the following descriptum-0f one will suffice for: all x :The en port for the knives preferably consists oa 'spider or frame F secured in any sultable manner to the lower extremity of a shenlre -a,n.d.;fr0m whioh depend the knives knives f Indy be'radially arranged the spider or frame F130 cut thednugh into segments or individual b15- cuits im emqdin to the design illustrated in Fig. 4 pfthe swings. Surroundi spinan xe alcove :frenne F is a sleeve 11 aving iii-i135 l'ower;end at flange or head and .upen sei heedH is supported a detachable weight." I. c] [.voI-',nted in the spaces between knn e pnes etfifims o n teeK- t rough support F. save with. head Hi are slidable on shanks e, and s )indles [c of plates K are also slidable wit respect to support F.

From the above description, it will be noted that frames F and knives f constituting the knife frames are raised and lowered as raising and lowering movements are imparted to shanks e; on the contrary, sleeves h, heads H, weights H and presser plates K, these constituting the prcsser frames, are free in the movements by reason of the slida'ble mounting of sleeves h on shanks e and plates K in frames F. Under the action of gravit however, the presser frames follow the knife frames downwardly, when the head beam D is moved in that direction, and, on the other hand, when head beam 1) is elevated, the presser frames are positively elevated by the engagement of frames F with heads H. Assuming that pans filled with dough are in proper position for cutting the dough into biscuit loaves, it will be noted that. under preliminary moven'ient of head beam D, resser faces K are in alinement with the edges of knives f, and the weight of the descending presser faces causes the dough in the pans, upon contact with them. to spread out and condense in the bottom of the pan. The pressure of the dough forces the freely movable resser faces K upwardly between the'knives f, the spindles 'k of said faces being connected to the head H transmit the downward pressure of weight H to the dough, the entire presser frame at this period of the operation being supported by the dough itself. Further movement of head beam D forces the knives 1 into the dough to divide it into segments or individual biscuits.

Upward and lowering movement is im parted to the presser and knife frames by means of the following connections from the main drive shaft B. Fixed to the drive shaft at its ends are cranks L which, upon rotation of the shaft, impart reciprocatory motion to connecting rods l. Saidconnecting rods Z arepivoted to the sleeves d, d

of head beam D and accordingly, rotation of shaft B is effective to 'reciprificate head beam D with its connected pressure and knife frames, sleeves d, dmliding on guide d C'- The invention provides means, for automatically progressing a dough supporting element, such as a den h pan across the path of the cutting an shaping element and for holding the pan stationary while in the path of the cutting element and during working of the dough. This is efi'ec'ted by providing an intermittent feed for the pans and timing the periods of rest of the pans to correspond with the periods of lowering movement of head beam D. Fixed to each end of a transverse shaft N arqririva sprockets N and a ratchet a. Mounted for free oscillation on shaft N are cranks it having a nawl n Crank n is connected by a red a to a crank L on main drive shaft ii. By reference to Fig. 2 it will be observed that pawl n is adapted to impart an intermittent movement to sprockets N and the connections between said pawl and main drive shaft B are so arranged that sprockets N are at rest during half a revolution of the main drive shaft, and in motion during the other half of a revolution. Main drive shaft, however, while rotating one half a rcvolutioh,'will imp-art a third of a revolution to shaft N and sprockets N. This may be effected by providing ratchet n with three equally spaced teeth, as shown, whereby each alternate half-revolution of shaft B transmits throu h pawl 01 a third of a revolution to shaft N and sprockets N. During the periods of rest of the sprockets N, the head beam D is lmvered, bringing the presser and knife frames into operative engagement with the dough in the l pans: beneath. The next half revolution 0" drive shaft B elevates head beam D to its highest point, at the same time through the engagement of pawl 41* with a tooth of ratchet 71. carrying sprockets N one third of a revolution forward. Shaft N is j ournaled at the delivery end of bed plate A and each sprocket N is provided with an endless belt or conveyor 0, said belts being guided in their movements by longitudinal slots a'in bed plate A. At the feed end of bed plate A the respective conveyer belts 0 pass over idler sprockets O mounted at the ends of a transverse shaft P journ-aled in the framework. Connecting the belts O transversely, are pan positioning rods R, said rods being preferably spaced in accord with the movements of the belts whereby a red at the feed end of the table will be carried by the next movement of the belt's'into proper position with respect to the presser and knife frame mounted on head beam A preferred arrangement of pans is illustrate in Fi' 4 of the drawings. As shown, three pan S", S are connected by tiles 8, s, to orina unit. The pans are positioned on the conveyor belts O by placing them against a rod R and one third of a revolution of drive sprockets N is suflicient to carry them into proper position beneath the presserahd knife frames. During the next half revolution of main drive shaft B", the pans are held stationary in this position and the lowering movement of head beam D, which is new effected, brin the dough cutting and pressing frames into their proper biscuit cut-ting functions with respect to the dough .in the pans. The next half revoiution of drive shaft B carries the completed leaves to the discharge and of bed p ate A and a he s? fie was '5 new beach of pans beneath the cutting and pressing frames. This arrangement, while insuring a proper working and cutting of the dough in the pans, at the same time provides one biscuit making operation for each lowering movement of the head beam D and thereby results in a maximum output per machine.

What is claimed is 1. In a machine for preparing biscuit loaves in baking'pans preparatory to baking, the combination of means for compressi a ball of dough, confining means consistmg of baking pans each having a bottom and side walls cooperating with said means for limiting the flow of dough in all directions whereby a predetermined shaped mass is obtained, means for cutting the confined mass of dough and rendering the compressing means inoperative and means for presenting successive confining means to the action of the compressing means after each operation of the cutting means, whereby a ball of dough may be automaticall compressed, cnt, and fed to the oven irectly from the dividing machine.

2. In a dough handling machine, the combination of means for compressing a ball of dough in a bake pan, cutting means for severing the compressed dough into portions, means for advancing successive pans of dough into position to be acted upon by the compressing means and the cutting means, and operating means for-causing a constant movement of the cutting means, and an intermittent movement of the pan advancing means, whereby dough may be transferred automatically from the dough divider to the bake oven.

FRANK H. VAN HOUTEN.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM T. STRIPPEL, ANNA F. DEVEREAUX.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0." 

